A Dame He'd Kill For
by asyouwishmilady
Summary: This takes place in a noir AU world in which Emma suspects her husband is cheating, and the only private eye in town is Killian Jones. This focuses solely on the relationship of Emma and Killian. Multi-chapter fic in the third person. I hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter 1

A/N:** This just popped into my head one day and I had to write it down.**

**Summary: Emma is a once happily married house wife, who suspects that her husband of one year is cheating. Killian is a dapper private investigator who has always been the one who cheats, not the one who is cheated on. **

**They meet by chance, and sparks (and bullets) fly.**

**Setting: This is my kind of noir, where the government has been corrupted and taken over by thugs and gangsters. It's set in a future with modern technology, but 20's ideals, morals, and style (as an after-affect of the poor government). I hope that makes sense.**

**Rating: T for adult themes.**

***GASP* There's smoking and alcohol! Oh no!**

**Yes, it's captain swan. What else would it be?**

* * *

Emma Swan sashayed down the street, her plum Chanel shift dress swaying with her graceful walk.

She wasn't really the type that "dressed to impress", but her marriage was in shambles, so she might as well try to find a new husband.

It wasn't in "shambles", not exactly.

They had been happy, once. Her husband brought in a more than steady income, he was constantly creating blockbuster films, and they were madly in love.

Nearly a year after their honeymoon, he began to be more distant. Their once constant cash flow faltered. Emma had to get a side job, waiting tables at her friend Ruby's diner. And yet their bank account was still low.

She wasn't like the dumb dames August had dated before. She knew how to recognize an affair when she saw one. Extra charges on the phone bills to a foreign number, dodging questions about his "business trips". She once went to the bank to make a withdrawal, and the teller exclaimed that she was so lucky that her husband took her on so many vacations (she had never been on one with him). And finally, a telegram she stumbled upon that read "My darling August. I can't wait to see you again. My heart longs to be with you, and to see your face once more."

It was addressed to August, but the ink that said who it was was smudged. Wonderful.

She didn't want to go on such easily covered up evidence. If she did, her husband would probably make a bunch of excuses and claim that she was crazy. Thus, ensuing his divorce with her, claiming that she didn't trust him. But, if she got better evidence, from a private eye, she could pin the divorce charges on him, and she would be the one evacuating a sinking ship.

And sadly, there was only one detective in town.

She had to call the notorious Killian Jones. When she talked to him, she was charmed by his smooth accent and casual manner.  
His laugh alone was enough to make her melt. But she had heard enough from her friends to know that she should steer clear of him.

When she came to Mary Margaret and her friend Ruby to tell them she was getting a private eye, there was an instant "Don't hire Jones!" From Mary and a "Hire Jones!" from Ruby.

"Why?" I asked.

"He's sooo hot. And you need someone to take your mind off August..." Ruby said in a sing-songy voice.

"He's a villain. He's killed people before, but the mafia runs the police, so nobody can apprehend him. And, he's a womanizer. They say he cheats on his wife, Mila, with his customers!" Mary Margaret said in a hushed voice, like somebody might be listening.

Emma shrugged. "I don't get it. He sounds like your average, run-of-the-mill guy to me."

"Have you seen him?" Her friends said in unison.

And that was pretty much the end of their conversation.

She pushed through the throng of shady-looking people, until she made it to "The Rabbit Hole".

Unlike other places on the block, it looked like it actually got business. It had a fizzling "open" sign and a few cobwebs here and there, but a steady stream of voices and cigarette smoke flowed out the door.

The whole room was hazy with smoke, and it smelled like spices mixed together in the wrong way.

As she walked in, it seemed like everybody was staring at her. A lot of the customary bar chatter stopped. And then it started again.

"What was that all about?" She thought aloud as she sat in a chair towards the back of the room.  
"Maybe they aren't accustomed to the kind of clothes you wear, love."

The seat next to her was suddenly filled.

She could feel her eyes grow wide.

Killian Jones could only be described as "tall dark and handsome."  
He had jet black hair, stunning blue eyes, and light scruff around his chin. His suit was impeccably tailored, and in a most flattering shade of gray. Very flattering. With very well-fitted pants. Those eyes. Look at those eyes!

"Hello? You didn't seem deaf on the phone."

"Uh, no. I'm not. I can hear very well. What did you mean by that?"

"Well, most of the people that come in here aren't the wives of filthy rich business tycoons." He smiled, revealing a perfect set of teeth. "On this side of town, life might be a little less extravagant than you're used to."

He didn't seem dangerous. What were Mary and Ruby talking about?

"I've noticed that." There was nothing but pantsuits and the occasional fitted trouser or jean in the crowd.

"Would you care for a drink? I'd recommend one of the tropical fruit mixes. My wife likes those." He suggested.

"Can you go to the bar and get me a MacCutcheon scotch whisky?" Emma asked, ignoring his input.

Killian looked taken aback.

"Of course. Whatever you like." He said, confused.

A few seconds later, Emma felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I knew he would try to pull something like this." She muttered.

But Killian was still at the bar.

_Crap._

"Hey, sweetheart." The person touching her said.

She tried to get up, but realized that the man was holding her down.

He smelled like had never had a bath in his life.

"Bug off." Emma snapped.

"Oh, feisty. I like them like that."

He squeezed her shoulder so hard she yelped.

She was about to scream, but she was cut off by a bullet ripping through the air and embedding itself in the cheap wallpaper behind her table.

"HEY! Get off the dame or the next one goes between your eyes!"

Killian yelled from the bar.

He still had the gun aimed at the bar rat's head, breathing heavily in fury.

"Go on, shoo!" He waved the gun towards the door.

The man scampered off, taking a beer bottle with him.

"Thank you." Emma said nervously as he came back.

"I hate to see a lass being treated like that."

He said, shaking his head. He handed her her drink.

_"_I... I just wanted to tell you that people think you're..." She started

"A villain. I know. That I take advantage of my clients and that I'm a killing machine. I would only kill if somebody deserved it. And as for the part about my clients... I'm always a gentleman."

"Sure you are."

"It's true. My wife is my sun, moon, and all the stars. I could never betray her. Ever."

_August? Are you taking notes?_

"So, I called you about my husband, August Wood..."  
She began.

"Wood? He works with my wife. Mila Jones. Do you know her?"  
Killian asked.

"Yeah, isn't she a costume or set designer? August said he was working with her on location last week." She took a sip of her drink.

"What are you talking about? Mila is a secretary for Gold Law Firm. Last week she said she was going to a retreat and that your husband was funding it."

"She doesn't work with Wood Productions? At all?"

"No..." He lost his smile and his eyes grew dark.

He looked like he wanted to punch something.

"Maybe I got the name mixed up. That's it." He choked out.

"I think... I'm not the only one being cheated on, here."  
His eyes started filling with tears.

"How could I have been so stupid? I've never seen a paycheck out of her, now that I think about it. And where is 'Gold Law Firm'? I've never even seen it. God, I'm a bloody idiot."

She hesitantly touched his hand.

"You're not. And that's exactly why we're going to catch the lunatic that cheated on you red-handed."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This got such a great reaction! It did way better than I expected. Thank you so much for reading.**

**Summary: Killian and Emma go on a stake-out a week after they met.**

**August and Mila are at a "conference weekend", so they trail August. *cue mission impossible music***

* * *

"So this is it." Killian said with more than a hint of malice. "Where my love has been having an affair.

They had pulled up to a fancy-looking hotel complete with gold accents and white arches.

"This is the reason why I can't buy new evening wear? Because my husband has been treating his mistress to vacations in the freaking Plaza Hotel?" Emma yelled.

"I swear, once I get my hands on that man I'll..." Killian pounded his fist on the dashboard of his car.

"You'll let him go with a swift kick to the groin and a few choice words." Emma finished.

"I can't let him off that easy! Besides, what would the 'police' do if they found out I killed him? They'd probably pat me on the back for a job well done!"

He'd been like that since finding out Mila was cheating on him.

"Killian..."

"No! It was bad enough that he stole my wife from me, but he had the nerve to walk out on someone like you! What kind of monster would do something like that? Do you want him to never pay for what he's done?"

"I just want him out of my life! Don't you want that, too?"

"But we'd be doing them a favor by letting them go. Then they can get what they wanted. They'd be free from _us_."

Emma had never thought of it that way. She always felt like she was the one in the cage, but it might've been the other way around. Who would want a poor, average-looking girl with no dowry and enough emotional baggage to capsize a cruise ship?

She pushed back her tears.

Killian's face softened. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean..."

"I know what you meant." She sniffed. A stray tear snuck down her cheek. "It's just... I'm fine. It's okay."

"No, it's not fine."

He brought his face close to hers. He smelled like rum and something else she couldn't place.

She tried to form a word, make a sound, do anything, but the constricting feeling inside her chest was too painful.

Emma leaned in ever so slightly, and then captured his lips in a kiss.

His hand came up to cradle her head, and he brought her closer as gently as he could.

She was the first to pull away, and noticed that both of their faces were now wet with tears.

"So now you know what it feels like to be kissed by somebody who actually cares about you." Killian said, his malicious tone evaporated from his voice.

"That was... I didn't want to..." She was about to cry all over again when she heard a burst of giggles from the street.

"Put your sunglasses on and put your hair in your hat." Killian commanded.

Emma nodded and did as she was told.

August emerged from the hotel, some whorish brunette on his arm.

She was wearing a deep red dress with a plunging neckline, and laughing uncontrollably at something witty August had said.

They approached the car, and luckily the two lovers were so engrossed in eachother they didn't notice the muffled sobs coming from the Cadillac to their right.

* * *

Emma giggled as Killian told her a story about a crazy client who claimed that she suspected her step mother of casting a curse to "destroy her happiness."

They had gone back to The Rabbit Hole for drinks after their search for evidence left them with a picture of Mila and August kissing under a tree.

"No, really, these are her exact words; 'She had to tear out the heart of the thing she loves most and she made a dark curse to send us all to another realm'." He guffawed.

"You're just making this up!" Emma chuckled.

"No, I swear I'm not!" He downed his third glass of rum. "Another! And one for the lady!" He yelled at a server.

"Oh, I don't like rum." Emma said.

"You'll learn to, milady." Killian simply said.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, bringing her face close to his.

"Well, if you're going to keep kissing me the way you did today, you'll have no choice but to taste a little here and there."

That earned him the fifth kiss of the night.

"I believe that I've done enough talking tonight. Why don't you do a little for a change? Tell me about you."

"There's not much to tell." She pulled her black shawl around her shoulders. "I lived with my abusive adoptive parents until I was seven, when I ran away. I met a girl named Wendy when she caught me stealing from her father's store, and her family took me in until she and her brothers and mother died in a plane crash. Her dad kicked me out, and fifteen-year-old Emma Swan was out on the street with nothing but a stolen car. I met a guy, thought I loved him, and had a kid with him on accident. We had to put it up for adoption because we couldn't support it. It turns out he was hiding from the mafia the whole time. He pinned me for his crimes and I spent years in a torture camp. I got a job waiting tables, went back to school, and that's when I met August. I think that brings us up to date."

Killian just stared at her, mouth open.

"Are you going to leave me, now that you know what a wreck I am?" She said bitterly.

"My father, an immigrant from Ireland abandoned me. My mother took care of me until I was four, but she died of Spanish Influenza. My brother Liam took care of me and was my only family for years after that. I became an assassin for the mafia at sixteen. My last victim was my brother. I had no idea it was him, until it was too late. That's when I met Mila. She consoled me when I was inconsolable. She made my life feel a little less horrible."

He reached out to brush a tear off her cheek.

"Please, let me do that for you."

And he did.

* * *

**A/N: Did I say stake-out? Oops. I meant make-out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, my fabulous readers :)**

**This is sadly the last chapter.**

**I loved writing this and thanks so much for reading it!**

**Summary: Emma and Killian put the cheaters in their place (kind of).**

* * *

Emma sat on her bed, trying not to feel anything. The last month had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and she needed to take a break.

She was full of fear that Killian and her would get caught by August or Mila, anger at August for leaving her, and bliss from the short moments she could have with Killian.

Being numb would be a blessing.

They had set up a date to confront their soon-to-be ex-spouses, at their hotel. The day approached far too quickly.

Emma let her mind wander to the week before, that they'd spent almost entirely together.

Life with Killian was like living in a dream. The way he could show her how much he loved her with a single glance. The way he held her hand when they walked down the street. His little jokes and the dimples that formed when he watched her laugh.

But it also felt like one of those dreams where she'd wake up just as she was getting to the best part.

His personality was always teetering on calm and murderous.  
She noticed that he had violent tendencies, he brought his gun everywhere, and was constantly threatening people on the street.  
Emma knew she loved him, and him her, but she didn't want to be a witness in court if he killed a man for wolf-whistling at her.  
The whole thing made her sick to her stomach. She was constantly debating whether or not she should say something, and even if she should stay with him.

The one thing she knew for certain was that he made her feel alive and happy.

He always touched her gently, like he was afraid of breaking her. He kept their relationship slow and soft. Whenever Killian kissed her, it was definitely with passion, but it was fueled by love, not by lust.

He gave her feelings she had not not had in a long time.

"Are you ready to go, love?" Killian called from the living room of her apartment.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a second." She plucked a black lace dress from her closet and threw it on.

She had overslept, and Killian's knocking on the door woke her up.

Emma walked out to meet her lover and closed the door behind her.

Killian kissed her on the cheek, and said, "You look ravishing, darling."

He noticed her disgruntled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that..." She paused, unsure about how to continue.

"I don't want you to get out of control today."

"What do you mean?" He asked, although he knew fully what she meant.

"I don't want you to hurt August or Mila. They may have cheated, but they don't deserve to die."

"If you don't want me to, I won't."

"Do you swear?" Emma asked.

"Of course." He punctuated his sentence with giving Emma a kiss on the nose.

She buried her face in his neck, just feeling his warmth next to her. And then, she felt something cold, hard, and metal.

"Killian, put your gun on the table." Emma said, her voice muffled by his suit jacket.

"No!" He exclaimed.

"Yes!" Emma insisted. "I want to be sure that you won't hurt anybody."

"Can't you take my word for it?"

"As much as I want to, I can't. I've seen how you get when you're mad. When you barely knew me, you were willing to kill to defend my honor. Now you know me very well, and we're going to be in a room with two people that have caused the both of us a lot of emotional pain. I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."

"First, I'll have you know I would never regret killing the man who broke your heart and left you. And second, what if we get mugged? What if I run into a past enemy of mine? I have a lot of those, by the way."

"The likelihood of any of those things happening is very low. I am asking one thing of you, and one thing only. Leave. The gun. Here."

With an exasperated sigh he reached into a pocket in his suit and placed it on the table.

"Thank you." She threw her arms around him, before saying, "We've got some cheaters to bust."

* * *

They stood outside the hotel, hand in hand.

"I'm not sure if I can do this." Emma said, her voice shaking.

"It's okay. I'm here to do this with you." Killian grinned warmly at her.

She gave him a half smile.

As they walked in, Emma tried to conceal her excitement. It was just like she imagined it would be. It had soaring ceilings, gold pots inhabited by exotic ferns, and chandeliers that glittered with a million crystals.

They rounded a corner to see rows of marble check-in counters.

"Can I help you?" A prim-looking older lady asked.

"Yes." Killian said automatically.

"We're visiting some friends, August Wood and Mila Jones." Emma chimed in, like they rehearsed.

The lady typed away on a silver computer.

"I have reservations for August Wood and Mila Shepherd in 44B. Is that the couple you're looking for?"

Killian winced.

"Yes." He said through gritted teeth. "That's them. Come along, love."

Once they were safely in the elevator, he told Emma, "That was her maiden name."

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride up.

They finally reached the right floor, and she gave his hand a little squeeze.

It was the second door down on the right, and they drew out every footstep until they came to the door.

It had a little "Do not disturb" sign which they both ignored.

Killian went straight to work, trying to pick the lock. It gave in after the fourth try.

They walked in on Mila and August practically on top of eachother, mid-make out.

They turned around like deer caught in the headlights, and gasped.

"Sweetheart, it's not what it looks like!" August said desperately.

Please. How dumb did he think she was?

"Shut up. We've been trailing you for weeks." She pulled the laminated photo of August and Mila's kiss from her purse.

"You should know better than to cheat on a private investigator." Killian said, his voice devoid of emotion.

August got up.

"William Smee?" He growled.

"Peter Weaver." Killian spat.

August pulled a pistol from a table next to the couch they had found him on.

"What are you doing with my wife?" He barked.

"What're you doing with mine?" Killian said in the same tone. "And before you ask, you took mine first." He pulled a long knife from his suit pocket.

"I told you not to bring a weapon!" Emma hissed.

"No, you told me not to bring my gun! I had to protect you!" He replied.

"You think you're so noble." August chuckled.

"You're no different from when I met you. You're a villain." He released the safety on his gun.

"No!" Emma screeched.

She leapt in front of Killian just as she felt a burning sensation in her left shoulder.

The last thing she saw was Killian's worried face hovering over her.

* * *

She heard someone crying, somewhere far away.

And then she realized that he wasn't far away, he was right next to her.

Her eyes snapped open and she tried to turn her head to see Killian, but she was hit with a wave of burning pain in her collar bone area.

"You're awake! Thank the gods, you're awake!"

His face popped into her blurry vision.

"I thought I'd lost you! Emma, oh my gods."

He took her hand in his.

"The doctors said it was too late, they said they couldn't save you but they did!" Tears of happiness ran down his cheeks. He brushed some hair out of her forehead and kissed it, gently.

"What even happened?" She managed to croak out.

"Well, you jumped in front of me when August tried to kill me, and I lunged at him with the knife but he pinned my hand down, took the knife, and, well..."

He held up an arm which should've ended in a hand, but instead it was covered in layers of bandage.

Emma gasped.

"I'm pretty sure you needed that!" She said, flabbergasted. "Are you okay? You poor thing! At least I was unconscious, but you had to suffer for I don't know how long!"

"I'll be okay. And it's been six hours."

"Where's August?" Emma asked.

"I don't know. He left with Mila the second he cut off my hand."

"What did he mean by 'William Smee?'"

Killian cleared his throat.

"August used to be a part of the resistance, under the pseudonym Peter Weaver. I was sent to kill him when I worked for the mafia, but I failed. I worked with the name William Smee. He then became in charge of killing me. He followed me for a year, and saw every kill I made. Including my last."

"You know I'll never see you as a villain, right?" Emma said. "I never have, and I never will."

"I know, but... That doesn't go for both of us." Another tear trickled down his face.

"It should. You've done nothing but protect me and love me. And if I can see the good in you, it means that it's in there."

She reached up to touch his face.

"I love you, Killian."

He gave her a weak smile.

"I love you, too."


End file.
